


For the Soul

by thetransgirlwhoneverwas



Series: Fictober 2020 [24]
Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Gallifrey (Big Finish Audio)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:41:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27288079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thetransgirlwhoneverwas/pseuds/thetransgirlwhoneverwas
Summary: Narvin has lived on and around Gallifrey his entire existence, a society that has perfected efficiency to the point where they don't even have to make food anymore. Narvin has never had a cooked meal in all his lives. Leela seeks to change that.
Relationships: Leela (Doctor Who)/Narvin (Doctor Who)
Series: Fictober 2020 [24]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1952200
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	For the Soul

Narvin walked through the streets of Gallifrey, Time Lords parting in his wake as he strode with purpose. He may not be the Coordinator of the Celestial Intervention Agency anymore, but he was still second in command, and his reputation could not be denied. If Narvin was walking towards you looking like he was on official business, you got out of his way. If he was walking towards you looking like he was on personal business, you got out of his way faster because Narvin didn’t have personal business, and so whatever it was had to be unspeakably important. And so Narvin strode, with Time Lords of all rank and chapter almost leaping aside to let him pass. In fact, Narvin noted to his amusement, some of them did literally leap out of his way. But this was, in fact, very important business. Something that may be vital to his life and the safety of the entire Celestial Intervention Agency.

Leela had requested his presence at her residence and he was not going to be late.

He eventually left the main city and continued to walk, seeing fewer and fewer Time Lords as he did. Most Time Lords rarely ventured from the heavily populated areas of the Capitol, and almost all of them never left the Capitol altogether. Leela had point blank refused to live in an apartment building in the residential areas with most of the Time Lords, and absolutely nobody had wanted to argue with her. Instead, a disused barn had been moved from the middle of nowhere several miles away to the outskirts of the city for Leela to live in. Close enough that she could still easily access the city’s facilities and be a part of society, but far enough away that she didn’t feel cramped or hemmed in. No matter where she was or what she was doing, Leela needed freedom, a concept most Time Lords gladly sacrificed in favour of security against threats that most of the time were never going to come.

It wasn’t long before he had arrived at Leela’s home. Behind him was the city, and while he was still technically within its limits, there was nothing but Leela’s home out here. Far enough away to be part of nature, but close enough that she could still see her friends.

“And me,” Narvin said to himself, although he didn’t mean it. For as long as he had eschewed the very concept, he had genuinely become friends with Leela. More than friends, in fact, something he had never considered ever wanting in his life until he had it, and now he could not imagine living without it.

He approached the door, and something met his nose. Something faint, and almost indescribable, but incredibly appealing in a way that he didn’t know how to put into words. He readily knocked on Leela’s door. There had been a time where he would have hesitated, but that was long ago. It was only a few seconds before she opened the door, and just the sight of her smiling face was enough to make the trip worth it a thousand times over.

“Narvin, exactly on time!” she greeted him.

“There are few advantages to being a Time Lord,” he joked, something else it had taken him a long time to learn, “but punctuality is one of them.”

Narvin looked around the large room behind her, the same as it ever was. Leela’s house was not excessively large, and much of it was taken up by this main room, with only a bedroom, a bathroom, and a couple of small rooms for storage through the doors. Despite living in the most advanced civilisation in the universe, Leela had rejected most of their technology. There were exceptions she had welcomed into her life, plumbing and a shower being at the forefront, but most everything else she had relied upon her own knowledge. An open fire sat in the middle of the room, a large cauldron hanging above it emitting steam that was drawn up through a chimney in the roof. There may have been some fans involved, Narvin thought, but it was just as likely that Leela simply knew where to build the fire in the right place. A memorial to her fallen friend K9 stood on a large shelf on the far wall, and halfway between the wall on the right side of the room and the fire was a table with a wooden chair on each end.

“Please, come in,” she gestured for him to come inside, and as he stepped in he was overwhelmed by the wonderful smell growing orders of magnitude stronger. The city he lived in was always kept as sterile and neutral as possible, and the same went for any building or TARDIS he ever went in. He simply was not accustomed to such intensity bombarding his physical senses.

“Leela, what is that smell?” he asked, and as soon as Leela’s brow furrowed he knew it had been in the wrong tone.

“Is there something wrong?” she asked, looking worried. “Is it not to your liking?”

“On the contrary, I don’t think I’ve ever smelled anything so good,” he reassured her quickly.

“Oh, that is good!” she said, brow unfurrowing. “I remembered you have told me that Time Lords do not eat what I am used to eating.”

It was true. Although certain ceremonies called for more traditional foods, it was mostly fruit eaten as raw as was safe. Time Lords had long since developed easy ways of nourishing themselves, and though the pills they ate sustained them plenty, the society as a whole had rather lost the art of cuisine for the most part. Yet another subject Narvin had put little thought into before he met Leela and she had taught him so much of what other cultures had above Gallifrey.

“So I decided that I would cook you a meal,” she announced, gesturing to the pot hanging above the fire. “It is ready whenever you are.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Narvin said. “I assume Romana and Braxiatel will be arriving soon as well?”

Leela laughed. “No, Narvin, this stew is for the two of us. Alone.”

“Ah,” Narvin suddenly realised the relevance of the number of chairs around the table and started to feel rather embarrassed that he had asked. “It just...I thought it looked like a lot, for...two people…” he tried to save face, and utterly failed.

Leela laughed again. “My cooking is not quite as...easily packed down as what Time Lords usually eat. And this meal will be enough for the next several days, and will be good to eat for some time. I thought that cooking too much rich meat would not be good for you, so the stew is made from herbs and vegetables I have found in the wilderness. Oh, do not worry,” she added quickly as Narvin’s expression reflected his apprehension at that. “They are herbs and vegetables I have been eating for several months without harm, they are quite safe.”

“Thank you,” Narvin said. “I should know better than to think you would give me something that would harm me. I...don’t know how to thank you, this is...incredibly thoughtful.”

“Perhaps you should try it before making such a decision?” Leela suggested, teasingly.

“Certainly,” Narvin agreed, and sat down. Leela retrieved two bowls and spoons from storage and poured some of the stew into each one, setting one down in front of Narvin and one in front of her own place. After she had sat down, Narvin tried some of the first traditionally cooked food he had ever had, and for the rest of his lives, he would never be able to describe the sensation he had upon his first taste. It was, as Leela had anticipated, overwhelming in the most wonderful way. Narvin would later describe it as like he had lived his entire existence underwater and had just tasted air for the first time. He wasn’t sure if he or Leela was more surprised by how quickly he finished his bowl, his first ever experience of food meant not for function but for enjoyment leaving his life enriched and his palate ravenous for more.

“I am going to assume you enjoyed that,” Leela laughed again, and her laughter warmed the room more than the fire ever could.


End file.
